Beyone Life and Death
by loverofeevee
Summary: What if life wasn't life? What if death wasn't death? What if the Earth was just a daycare center for those who hadn't matured enough to move on? What if the one who created existence needed a little help? And how does Harry fit into this? Talks about religion and evolution but not in any real detail.
1. Chapter 1

Beyond Life And Death

Pain. Screaming. Flashing lights. Avada Kedavra!

'AHHHH!'

Harry sat up and looked around. Everything was white.

'I'm dead'.

'Yep'.

He spun to find a grinning red head.

'Fred?'

The older boy came over and sat beside him.

'That's my name!'

Harry stared at him. Then he started crying softly.

'Fred I…I'm sorry…!'

'What? Don't be Harry. It…'

'DON'T say it's not my fault!'

'I wasn't going to say that'.

Harry wiped his eyes.

'What?'

Fred grinned.

'I was going to say it's a shame you can't stick around. You'd love the party'.

'I…what…Party?!'

'Yep. See the afterlife shouldn't really be called the afterlife. People here are dead, but they aren't dead. I know that sounds mad but…let me try and explain. See, Death is actually Life. Nope that doesn't help…um…Ok, Death is the one that created life. You know, the world and space and all that stuff. He isn't called Death, that's a name we created for him cause that's what we think he does'.

'Fred my head hurts!' Harry groaned.

The older boy sniggered.

'Yep, I couldn't get my head around it either. Let's try it the muggle way. People believe in a God. Different people believe in different Gods. Death is every single God anyone has ever believed in. He is Life, he is The One. He made the world and the plants and seas. And then he sat down and thought, I'm going to make this world into a nursery. I'm going to sprout my seeds of life and leave them to grow however they want. So he got a handful of tiny cells of life and put them on the world. Then he stood back and watched to see what they did. The muggles have been digging up the results for years, what do you call them…fossils. Those little cells grew and evolved into lots of different beings. The muggles got the designs of some of the dinosaurs wrong, it's pretty funny to see the differences. He promised himself he wouldn't interfere, so when Magic came along and tweaked a few things he let her'.

'So what you're saying is Death, who is actually known as Life, and Magic are like two people, and they decided to create something and watch it grow?' Harry said.

'That's right. Some of the beings that were tweaked by Magic became humans. Others became Centaurs and Unicorns and Dragons. But if Magic hadn't tweaked them, they might still have taken on that shape, they just wouldn't have had her influence'.

'What's all this got to do with me being dead?' Harry asked.

The red head sheepishly rubbed his neck.

'Ha ha, sorry I got a bit carried away. See when people started believing in Gods, they started naming them. They decided in their infinite wisdom that Death wasn't a God, he was only there to kill people, hence the name. But see what he was actually doing was taking beings from the "nursery", that is, the world, and bringing them to a new home. Like when you transplant a sapling into a bigger pot. His way of moving beings is to let them shed their outer layer, their body, and gather up the souls to move. Like when a snake sheds its skin, except it's the entire outer body. Everyone who "dies", regardless of how, has been picked by Life to be moved to their new home. It doesn't matter what age a being is, it's a signal in their soul that Life looks for. Even a newborn can be moved, because it's only a newborn to us. To Life that soul is now ready to be moved, even if the being is only days or even hours old to us'.

'Where does Magic come into this?' Harry asked.

'Ah, she likes to play around. She's a bit like the kid who's told not to touch the sapling but does so anyway. She's the one who picked out the first male and female to have magic. Then she got creative and tried to copy Life by putting the pair in a garden of her creation. But she got a little carried away. Something to do with apples and snakes, I didn't get the whole story'.

Harry started laughing.

'You're kidding?! Magic created Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden?!'

Fred chuckled and nodded.

'Yeah. Life told her not to do it again, but she didn't really listen. She doesn't do a lot of meddling, but occasionally she will see something she thinks is wrong in the world and try to fix it, whereas Life would have left it alone. Both can have bad or good consequences for the world, like the meteorite that meant the end of the dinosaurs in the world, allowing all of them to be moved to their new home, or the overpopulation of the world because Magic decided to hold back the growth of certain beings' Fred tried to explain.

'I think I'm getting this. The bottom line is, death needs to happen because it's not actually death but moving to a new home' Harry said.

Fred grinned.

'Absolutely correct. But there's a slight problem'.

'Let me guess, it has something to do with me?' Harry muttered.

'Well sorta. But not through any fault of your own. See beings who are alive on the world don't realise that the end of their life isn't really the end of their life. Some have tried to keep themselves alive on the world for eternity, which means they are really stunting their growth and will never move on to their new home. Voldemort did this with those horcruxes of his. And so did Dumbledore'.

'Dumbledore had horcruxes?!' Harry exclaimed.

'Yeah, he fooled a lot of people. "Death" is supposed to happen in order to move, but some beings don't see that. Voldemort actually made a few more horcruxes that no-one knew about. And Dumbledore made four. Actually there are quite a few others who have done the same. A lot of purebloods have made horcruxes, normally just one but there are a few who have made more. It's tied in to the whole "I'm a pureblood therefore I'm better than everyone else" attitude. They want to wipe out those with less than pure blood and rule the world. It's a big conspiracy, and it's hilarious to watch!'

'I don't get it? What's blood got to do with living on the world?' Harry asked.

'It started years ago. When you are moved to your new home you've matured enough to realise it doesn't matter what kind of being you are. The new home is free from suffering and religion. Everyone gets along, no matter who they are. Oh and I shouldn't be saying this, but there's a great bonus. You can age and de-age at will. Severus almost killed me but I couldn't help it, his mum at age sixteen is incredibly hot!'

Harry stared wide eyed at the red head.

'You didn't?!'

Fred grinned.

'Hell yeah I did! Best part, everyone is doing it, there's no such thing as incest or gay or bestiality, its just sex! Believe it or not Harry but once Severus realised that he got right in the bed beside us!'

'I did not want to hear that!' Harry groaned.

Fred sniggered.

'Right, back on subject. Up here, peace. On the world though…well you know how bad it is there. When man first discovered that some could do things others couldn't, they started dividing into groups and fought over which group was superior. You can see it all throughout the history of man, and a few other beings. When Magic became involved, that just increased the problem. The first set of "pureblood magicals" thought themselves better than everyone else. And they preached that to their children and their children's children. Thousands of years down the line they discovered a way to live forever, and every pureblood worth their salt practiced this ritual. I'm not saying every single magical person did, but you'll find that a lot of people down on Earth have horcruxes. Members of just about every family tried this method. I'm ashamed to say even the Weasley family ancestors did it. Eventually though most people realised that it was wrong and stopped, but there are still those who do it in the world'.

'How do you know a Weasley did it?' Harry asked.

'Because they're still on the world. They cut themselves off from the rest of the family because they knew horcruxe making had become a dark practice, but they're there. If you take every being off the world and left only those who have split their soul, you'll be surprised to find how many there are'.

'Wow!'

'Yep. See that's where you come in Harry. No-one has ever survived being turned into a horcruxe. Sure lots of people tried to turn family members and children into horcruxes, but they eventually stopped when they realised they were endangering themselves. You are the Boy-Who-Lived. That name wasn't just given to you because you survived the killing curse. Magic whispered that name in certain people's ears because you were the only one to survive as a horcruxe'.

'Great! Even when I've moved on I'm still different' Harry groaned.

Fred rubbed his shoulders.

'Trust me, everyone here won't make a fuss because of it. But Life is asking that you help him out. He wants those who have split their soul to discover just how bad living on the world would be if everyone else is gone. He's interfered once before, now he's doing it again and pushed along the signal of every being on the world that hasn't split their soul. He wants you to go back and bring them here'.

'WHAT?! And how the hell am I supposed to do that?!' Harry exclaimed.

'Simple, you gotta "kill" everyone in sight'.

Fred continued quickly before Harry could speak.

'I know that sounds bad but trust me when I say moving on will be better for them. It's like…what's that guy called? Noah! It's like Noah and his ark'.

'How does that work?!'

'Well see Noah didn't really listen. Life told him that there was going to be a big flood and he was to tell everyone not to panic and allow themselves to move on. Noah instead thought Life was tricking him and made that giant ark, thinking he was saving the animals, as well as certain people he deemed worthy enough to save. Life moved on everyone else and left a scattering of people, those who had made horcruxes, to stay behind. But because Noah had taken two of each animal and put them on the ark, along with the people, the great move didn't work. So now he's trying again with you. He's not bothering with a flood this time. You need to spread the word to every being you can and move on as much as you are able. Once you finish, you will of course move on as well. Life's a bit stubborn though, he's basically said that if you don't help, he won't allow you to move on'.

'No pressure then? So what, I'm supposed to go around zapping people with the killing curse?'

'Pretty much. That curse was the best spell people came up with. Absolutely no pain'.

Harry thought for a moment.

'What about those people who suffered before "dying"? Or the people who are raped? How does that work?'

Fred scowled.

'Life didn't plan that. When the people who do things like that "die", Life punishes them for their crimes'.

'Punishes them?'

'Well yeah, moving on meant your soul has matured. If a man rapes a kid then kills her, when he dies he's mature enough to realise that he did something stupid in hurting that kid. Life makes him watch his crimes over and over as a punishment. Time is hard to measure in the new home so I can't really tell you how long it lasts. I had to watch myself killing that puffskein, when George comes here he will have to so the same. We thought we were only playing, but we were actually torturing that poor thing. They don't mind being thrown around, but a playful toss and being whacked by a beater bat are two entirely different things' Fred replied with some guilt.

'What about things like bugs? I mean you don't always know you've cut a worm in half when you're weeding?' Harry asked curiously.

'Life knows which beings you caused pain by accident, and which you hurt deliberately. In fact when you finally move on he'll have you watch yourself cursing Draco. You deliberately used a spell you didn't recognise and were pretty sure it would cause some form of pain'.

'Oh. Yeah, that was a stupid thing to do' Harry said quietly.

Fred ruffled his hair.

'Life understands that you felt bad about it, he probably won't make you watch for long'.

Harry had a sudden thought.

'What about immortal beings? Like Fawkes or vampires? Or ghosts? How does that work?'

'Every nursery has pests. Well they're not really pests, they're actually creations of Magic. She tried her luck at creation once more and immortal beings were produced. You shouldn't worry too much about them, they'll be fine on the world with the horcruxe makers. Ghosts are a little bit different. Those beings were forced into staying by others. Myrtle for example was killed by the Basilisk, and Riddle wished her into staying behind to make an example of her. His idea was that if she stuck around, people would realise he meant business. Other ghosts stay cause they have a great need to finish something. Sir Nicholas stayed behind, believe it or not, because he wanted his beheading to be a clean cut, and it wasn't. Just before he died he realised that he could be a headless ghost and haunt those who killed him. If he was properly beheaded he would have been moved on though, but because he wasn't he got angry that they couldn't even allow him to become a proper headless ghost, and became a ghost. Binns was the same, he wanted to finish his teaching before moving on. Problem is he keeps repeating the same thing over and over and never gets to truly finish'.

'So they won't be able to move on?'

'Ghosts can, once they realise there's nothing holding them back. It might take a nudge or two so be sure to mention to them. Those who were forced to stay can move on using the same method. If Myrtle stopped making a fuss and just tried, she'd move on no problem. Sir Nicholas is stubborn, but he'll get it eventually. With the immortals, Magic and Life apparently had a big argument over that. Life wasn't happy Magic disobeyed him. It was agreed that if an immortal being did happen to "die", Life would move it on to the new home. However Magic wasn't allowed to make anymore creations, ever'.

'How come he got you to explain this to me, instead of explaining it himself, or letting my parents to it?' Harry asked.

'I'm the most recent person to have died down there, and someone you'd listen to. I mean I know you'd listen to your parents, or Remus or Sirius, but I guess he wanted someone a bit closer to your age.' Fred answered with a shrug.

Harry nodded and took a few deep breaths, running over the idea of the new home in his head.

'By the way, everyone sends their love. Even Cedric and Dobby' Fred continued.

'Alright. You wouldn't play this kind of prank. So…how am I supposed to get back?'

Fred nodded to the side and Harry glanced over to find a veil.

'That looks like the veil of death'.

'It is'.

'Why is that even on the world?'

'There are some beings who could feel their own soul signal. Life put that veil there so those beings could move on by themselves. For someone who says he won't interfere, Life has done quite a few things. But like everything else on the world, the idea got warped.' Fred answered.

'Oh. What beings were they?' Harry asked.

'I think it was the Demons. You know me Harry I hardly pay attention to lessons'.

Harry laughed.

'Yet you still managed to remember all that stuff about Life and Magic'.

Fred gave him a mock glare.

'Hey _that_ was drilled into me! I meant I don't pay attention to things that don't matter to me. I'm pretty sure Life said it was the Demons'.

Harry chuckled and shook his head in amusement.

'So Life and Magic talk to those who have moved on?'

'Oh yeah. They live in the new home and they're happy to chat'.

'Alright. So I just go through the veil and I'm back on Earth? What if someone hits me with a killing curse?'

'You won't die. Not until the very last being, except those with split souls, have moved on. The immortals aren't your business, you don't need to bother with them. Life did tell me to say that if you tell beings like the Centaurs and whatnot that…what was it…? Oh right! He wants you to say, the great move has begun. Because it didn't work last time, he planted a tiny order into each of the beings. If you say tell that to the creature types, they will instinctively know that they have to move on. The people will be the hardest to convince, Life didn't bother planting the order into them cause he knew they'd fight it. Tell the creatures, kill the humans'.

'How will I know which humans have split their souls?'

'When you pass through the veil, Life will plant images in your head. You will know which people have made horcruxes. And don't be surprised when you find out some of them should be muggles'.

Harry gave the older boy a confused look. Fred grinned.

'You every wonder where Walt Disney disappeared to? I can tell you now he didn't die'.

'Alright now I know you're having a laugh!'

'Nope. Then there's Attila the Hun, he's still kicking around, under a new persona. Hell a lot of people that are known in the muggle world used horcruxes to keep them alive. Some of them were even muggles themselves'.

'Muggles can make horcruxes as well?!'

'With the right help from those with magic'.

'That's certainly one way to turn your world upside down' Harry muttered.

'And the rest isn't?!' Fred laughed.

'Alright. I guess I'd better head back then. Any idea how long I've been here?'

'Not a clue, pretty sure it's not been long by Earth standards though. You'll be back in your body so you'll have your wand'.

Harry nodded and headed over to the veil.

'Hey Harry'.

He turned to look at Fred.

'I never thought I'd be saying this, at least when I was alive, but could you kill my family first? I miss them'.

Harry smiled and nodded.

'And just one more thing. I know you'll feel guilty. But once they realise the world is just a nursery, they won't blame you. That is something I can promise' Fred continued.

'Yeah, ok'.

Harry faced the veil. He didn't know how long this was going to take him, and he didn't know how hard it was going to be. He knew he was going to feel guilty, even after everything Fred told him. Sucking in a breath Harry mentally prepared himself to kill people he loved, and stepped through the veil.

_Should I keep this as a one-shot or continue? Any thoughts?_


	2. Chapter 2

_Due to popular demand, that is four people asked that I continue, I have written a few more chapters to round off the story._

When Harry next came into awareness he realised he was being carried. He snuck a peek and found a tearful Hagrid being pushed along by the deatheaters towards the castle, with Voldemort at the head. As Harry took in the faces of the deatheaters, he felt sick at the idea that most of these people had split their soul. He tilted his head a tiny bit to look at Hagrid. Carefully shifting his arm Harry slowly drew his wand.

I'm sorry for this Hagrid.

He discretely pressed the tip to the half giant's side, noticing the group pass under the arch of Hogwarts gates.

I can do this. It isn't killing, it's moving on to the new home. I can do this. Oh god I'm going to do this!

'Avada kedavra' he breathed.

As Voldemort started to gloat over his victory, Hagrid suddenly toppled. Harry found himself pinned under the large man's weight, but he didn't care. It gave him precious seconds to wriggle out and bolt without being seen.

'Get that oaf up!' Voldemort ordered.

He scowled as some of his followers rushed to obey, the sight that met him when the man was eventually turned right side up. The oaf was clearly dead, and the Boy-Who-Finally-Died was gone.

'Who killed him?!' Voldemort snarled.

Not that he cared, but Hagrid dramatic death fall meant he now had no prize to show off. The blasted boy must still be alive!

Harry found himself a quiet corner of the castle, knelt and buried his head in his arms.

'I'm sorry…! I'm so sorry…!'

'Er now, what's all this sorry business fer?!'

Harry jumped to his feet and looked round. Hagrid's voice laughed and the vibrations were felt from his pocket. Harry reached in and pulled out one of the two way mirrors. How had that got into his pocket? He looked upon a cheerful face.

'Hagrid…!' Harry whispered.

'Yeh it's me 'arry! Don't you be feeling sorry for yerself now lad! I've been told everythin' and I ain't about to yell at yer for saving me!'

Harry sobbed and slid down the wall, clutching the mirror like a life line. A new face joined the half giant.

'Hey pup!'

'Sirius!' Harry cried through tears.

'I'm with you pup! Your parents and grandparents…hell every Potter in history is here. Everyone you care about is right here Harry. You're doing the right thing'.

The face changed again and a blonde came into the picture.

'Hey Harry'.

'Cedric! Hi!'

The older boy chuckled.

'I know! Not much you can say when you're told your death isn't really your death. Thanks for taking my body to my parents, if I could tell them about the new home I would, but I had to make do with letting them have a body to bury. Oh here, your parents want to talk to you. It's ok to be upset Harry, just know everything will be ok'.

Harry gave another sob when his mum and dad replaced Cedric.

'Hey baby!'

'Hello son'.

'Mum! Dad! I'm scared! I want to help, but I just killed my first ever friend and even though I know he's with you in the new home I just feel so guilty!'

'Shh baby…its ok. You've got such a big heart Harry, I know this much be upsetting' his mum soothed.

'Life's given you the chance to ask for help Harry. That's why he gave you this mirror. Well that and so you can see that we're here and we'll be waiting for you in the new home. Life won't make an appearance though, something about following the rules. Sounds like an excuse to me' his dad said.

'Help?' Harry whispered.

'We'll be able to tell your friends what's really going on. It's understandable that they wouldn't believe you otherwise. We'll be right here to back you up' James explained.

'Oh. That would be good. I'm so scared they'll hate me' Harry replied softly.

'They won't honey. The moment they're up here they'll understand everything. You'll be able to talk to them and see that for yourself' Lily said.

A head of red squeezed into the frame.

'Hey Harry'.

Harry managed a weak laugh.

'Hey Fred'.

The red head smiled softly.

'I didn't know Life was going to give you the mirror. If you show it to my family I can explain why you're about to "kill" them. There will probably still be arguments, but that's just the Weasley flare for you'.

'I'll go find them now Fred. I don't know what's going on outside but I haven't heard any fighting. I think Voldemort's backed off again. Maybe knowing I won't bloody die has scared him'.

He heard laughter.

'The Boy-Who-Can't-Give-Voldemort-The-Satisfaction-Of-D ying. Your title's growing longer by the day!' Sirius sniggered.

There was a yelp and the mirror was passed onto Remus and Tonks.

'Wotcha Harry!' Nymphadora said with a sad smile.

Harry knew immediately what she was going to say next.

'Tonks I don't know if I can do it. How can I face my own godson and fire the killing curse? I know he'll move on in my head but the rest of me will go mad knowing I killed him'.

'Life didn't make this easy for you cub. I'm sorry you have to do this' came Remus' soothing voice.

'I know it'll be hard little cuz, and in any other circumstances I would never ever ask you to do it. But please Harry, my dad's desperate to meet his grandson, and get my mum back'.

Harry slowly inhaled and gradually released.

'Can you ask Life if I'm allowed to torture one of the soul splitters to compensate for the heartbreak? If he won't allow that then could you tell him that once I'm finally up there he's getting his arse kicked up and down the new world for making me do this?'

There were a few chuckles.

'Don't worry Harry. We've all had a go at him for doing this to you. But at the same time we're overjoyed he's doing this' James said.

'Yeah, I can understand that. Alright let me go and find the others and we'll see what happens from there' Harry said.

The mirror fell silent and he stood and wiped his eyes. Taking another deep breath he headed through the castle to find his friends. He spotted them in what was left of the great hall. He held back a sob as he saw the bodies lined up to the side. They were just husks he told himself firmly, the real thing was in the new home.

'Harry!'

He was engulfed in a crushing hug.

'Hermione…'

'Oh Harry I was so sure you were gone! When Hagrid fell and you disappeared…oh Hagrid…!'

'Don't worry Hermione. He's gone to a better place' Harry replied quietly.

Hermione moved back to look at him curiously.

'I need to talk to you. I need to talk to everyone. You're not going to like what you hear'.

Her eyes demanded an explanation, but she took his hand and led him to the remaining fighters. Harry was pulled into hug after hug before finally untangling himself and jumping up onto the platform that used to hold the teacher's table.

'I need everyone's attention!'

He was met with a silent hall, everyone waiting for the orders of their saviour. Harry fought tears.

'I…I have something to say…and…'

'Harry!'

He quickly took the mirror out to find Sirius trying to get his attention.

'Enlarge the mirror and we'll help you through it' the man said quietly.

Harry nodded and cast a hovering charm to hold the mirror up.

'This will sound unbelievable, but it's true'.

He enlarged the mirror, and the crowd who recognised the man gasped.

'Greetings to the world!'

'Sirius!'

'I'm sorry! I just had to say it!'

Lily huffed and stepped into sight, pushing the laughing man out of the way. Following her came several other people.

'Fred!' George sobbed.

'I'm here my handsome brother. Have we got a tale to tell you!' his brother replied with a grin.

Harry took over.

'These people didn't die. That is, they aren't gone for good. I went out earlier today to confront Voldemort and allow him to kill me to get rid of a horcruxe in my scar. When I next woke up I was in a different place, and Fred here gave me the weirdest explanation for what was going on'.

He told the crowd exactly what the red head had told him. People appeared in the mirror to back up his claims. Hagrid and Cedric and even Dobby spent some time in the spotlight as questions and accusations rained down on Harry. Eventually he finished his story, and waited for their response.

'Do you really expect us to believe that?!'

Harry gave a half grin at Justin's expression.

'I don't really know what to tell you Justin. But, do you really think I want to do this? Heck, I've got to go to the last remaining member of the Tonks family and tell her I need to kill her and my godson! He's barely a year old! Do you really think I'm just going to brush that off and move on? I've been told…we've been told by several people what really happens when we die. The fact that Hagrid is up there telling me its ok that I killed him doesn't help make it better'.

'YOU KILLED HIM!' Hermione shrieked.

'None of that 'ermione! 'arry didn't kill me! I'm right here!' the giant man defended.

'Look, you can help me, or you can go against me. Until I finally move on I'm going to have every death of every person here on my shoulders. Please don't make it any harder for me' Harry pleaded.

The great hall descended into mutterings and murmurs. Many people were shooting Harry angry and accusing glares. The noise dropped when someone pushed forward and hopped up onto the stage.

'Do it Harry. I believe Fred, and I believe you. Go ahead'.

Harry pulled George into a hug.

'I'm sorry George…!'

He heard a faint chuckle.

'You will be sorry if you don't get your arse in gear and fire that curse' the red head whispered back.

Harry spent a few more seconds hugging the older boy, then stepped back and cast the curse before anyone could stop him. Molly screamed as George's body fell.

'YOU MURDERER!'

Harry quickly caught the red head and laid him gently on the floor, smiling sadly.

'FRED YOU MINX! YOU DIDN'T!'

The entire hall turned towards the mirror, where George had his brother in a headlock.

'You guys aren't going to believe what our Fred did!'

'It wasn't just Eileen George. There's Lily and Tonks and Alex and…'

Fred's playful boasting was smothered as his brother hugged him.

'Who the heck is Alex and I want to meet him!'

Harry choked on a laugh.

'I guess he's told you about the age and de-age rule?'

'And the no-one cares who you sleep with rule! Harry I've got a list of people you need to bring up here immediately!'

Tonks laughed and swung her arm round the red head's shoulder.

'So you wanna play, hot stuff? Remus, wanna show this kid what you looked like when you were in school?'

George's eyes went wide.

'THREESOME!'

'Hell no make it a foursome!' Fred yelled as his brother was dragged away.

The group laughed as he ran after the trio. Sirius turned to Harry and shrugged with a grin, running off to join the fun. The great hall was stunned into silence.

'I think he'll be just fine Harry!' Lily laughed.

James was too busy on his knees in tears from laughing to comment.

'Harry'.

He turned to find Hermione by his side.

'I…I mean…is there really a new home?'

'That's what Fred told me. He says even the dinosaurs are there' Harry replied.

'Ye can ride them too 'arry!' Hagrid boomed with a laugh.

Hermione didn't really know how to reply to that. She looked back at Harry.

'You're going to do it alone?'

'Mione I couldn't ask anyone to do this. You'd be casting the curse at friends, family, innocent children…' he replied.

She fell silent for a moment. Then she looked up with dedication.

'I'm helping you Harry. You're not going to stop me'.

He opened his mouth to argue, only to find her kissing him.

'Don't even bother Harry! I've been trying to keep you out of trouble for years. You're going to need help figuring out how to kill the entire world without hurting them' she spoke sternly.

He sobbed and let his head fall onto his shoulder.

'Thank you…' he breathed.

She smiled and held him close, ignoring the playful cat calls from the mirror.

'Alright Harry I'm in'.

They turned as Neville headed up to the stage.

'It's not like my parents have much of a life as it is. Let me help, I'll feel horrible but if I can see my parents laughing and smiling at me then I know it will make me feel better'.

He pulled Harry into a one armed hug.

'You've yet to steer me wrong. I've got your back. And if I have to kiss you to make you understand I'm not leaving you, well I'll just have to kiss you won't I?'

He blushed slightly as Luna crept up behind him and kissed his cheek.

'I can tell the creatures Harry. I'm not ready to leave just yet'.

'HOW COULD YOU HELP HIM?! HE JUST KILLED GEORGE!' Ron screamed.

They turned to him.

'When have you ever known Harry to lie? You just saw George reunite with his brother, and he looked far to happy to have died' Hermione said

The Weasley family were still recovering from seeing two of their own leave them. Bill came forward and knelt, looking Harry in the eye.

'Forget the mirror, forget what you've seen. Do you believe that there is a new home waiting for us?'

Harry took a deep breath.

'I do Bill. If I had even the slightest bit of doubt I would never have cast that curse on your brother'.

Bill nodded, looking to be deep in thought. Then he stood and turned to his family, to the hall.

'We're fighting here because Harry gave headmistress McGonagall an order and she followed it. We all followed it. Now it appears the order has changed. Are we going to turn on Harry as we did in the past, or are we going to see what's in front of us and follow his lead? I've just seen my twin brothers die, and yet I'm happy. I'm happy because I've looked in that mirror and I've heard them laugh and fool around like the kids they are. I see them, and everyone else, and I've heard them tell Harry that he did the right thing'.

He glanced at Harry.

'If I could be of any help then please tell me. Otherwise I am prepared to join my brothers and my ancestors in the new home'.

'BILL WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!' Molly exclaimed tearfully.

'I'm saying I believe Harry. I'm saying that if he wants me to help, I'll kiss my wife and tell her I love her, and I'll fire the killing curse at her. I will probably fall apart afterwards, but eventually I'll pick myself up and I'll do it again and again until I myself die by Harry's wand'.

Harry could see the man was fighting tears, but he stood by his declaration and remained at Harry's side.

'Bill you don't have to' he said quietly.

The man glanced at him and smiled softly.

'I want my wife to be safe and happy. The only way I could feel any better about my decision is if I was able to become a father before I send Fleur away'.

'Bill'.

They turned to look at the mirror.

'None of us are dead Bill. That means the women here can still give birth. James and I held off but once Harry comes here we'd like him to have a little brother or sister' Lily said.

'You would?!' Harry whispered.

'Of course we would Harry. I think you'd make a fine big brother' James replied.

Bill let a few tears escape and quickly wiped them away.

'That's the best news I've heard'.

He managed a grin as he looked at Harry.

'If you don't want me to help, then let me at least tell Fleur what your mother said'.

'You sure about this Bill?' Charlie called.

The elder brother turned to his sibling.

'George wouldn't have come up here to reunite with his brother. He wouldn't have risked his life on a whim. But he would have come up here because he believed Harry. You know the twins, they don't do anything half hearted'.

The dragon trained thought for a moment, then nodded and came up to join them.

'Alright. I suppose I'll stick around to help as well'.

Bill chuckled and swung his arm round his brother's shoulders.

'Hey Harry. I don't suppose you've got an idea about how to get everyone here to die, do you?' Hermione asked quietly.

'Well…I did just think of something. Though I will need some help' he replied.

'Tell us what to do Harry' Bill said gently.

Harry took a breath and whispered his idea to the others. By this point the hall was getting restless, and people were starting to head for the doors, eager to prove that Harry was wrong and it was the bad guys that had to go.

'IMPERIO!'

The entire hall fell silent, people stopping in their tracks. The group on the stage had everyone form two lines facing each other, wand out and ready to fire.

'There's an odd number' Hermione pointed out.

'Bill take over my guys, I'll fill in the gap' Charlie said.

'You sure?' his brother asked.

'Well…I want to know about this who cares who you sleep with rule' the dragon trainer said with a shrug.

Bill laughed and, acting on the spur of the moment, yanked his brother towards him and kissed Charlie firmly on the lips.

'I'm not going to say I've always wanted to do that, but even I can admit you're hot'.

Blushing and a bit dazed Charlie made his way to the end of the line.

'I'm going to get you for that Bill!' he finally called.

'Guess we'd better get this over with' Bill said.

The group nodded and Charlie turned to face his partner, Percy.

'AVADA KEDAVRA!'

They quickly cast hovering charms to gently lower the bodies to the ground. Hermione noticed Bill had tears streaming down his cheeks and pulled him into a hug. She was sobbing herself.

'I just killed my family…' the man whispered.

Harry sucked in a breath and glanced at the mirror. A group of familiar faces smiled back at him. Molly looked ready to jump out the mirror and hug all of them. Ginny blew Harry a kiss and winked. He smiled softly and blew her one back.

'Bill you'd better talk to your family'.

He shrank the mirror and handed it to the man, the others moving away to give him some privacy.

'What do we do now Harry?' Neville asked shakily.

'The Malfoy family haven't split their soul. Every other deatheater has. We need to talk to those with creature blood, and tell them…'

'The great move has begun' Luna finished for him.

He smiled at her and nodded.

'They will know what to do. We need to figure out how to move on everyone in the world. You guys can still back out'.

'Not on your life Harry!' Neville exclaimed. His face was pale and he was shaking but he stood firmly.

'I'm not gonna let you stay here alone and face that guilt by yourself. We're in it together, you taught me that, and I'm not about to forget it now'.

The boy took a deep breath to calm himself, startling slightly when Bill patted his shoulder.

'Neville here's right. We're not leaving. Here's your mirror back Harry, it'll take me a while to really get over doing that, but I know my family are waiting for me and are happy'.

Harry nodded and slipped the shrunken mirror into his pocket. He fell silent for a moment as he thought.

'What's the plan Harry?' Luna asked softly.

'We need to talk to the ghosts and the centaurs. Ignore any immortal creature and don't bother trying to reason with the werewolves. I realise the vampires are going to be an issue but we'll work that one out later. We should also see to locking Voldemort and his followers away somewhere. They'd be helping us by killing people, but they like to torture and I don't want anyone getting hurt. We should do this one place at a time until we can come up with a way to painlessly kill millions of beings at the same time'.

He faced his friends with determination in his eyes.

'Guys I don't want you getting hurt. I want you in pairs and if one of you happens to get tortured then the other has to cast the killing curse then run. This would also be a great time to find out if someone can cast the curse on themselves. I hate to say it, but since you guys probably won't volunteer, we'll need to use the imperius curse on someone else'.

Hermione got a sudden thoughtful look on her face. The group let her ponder whatever thought she had while they prepared themselves for the next stage.

'Neville and I shall talk to the centaurs and the ghosts Harry. You and Bill would be better staying here and sealing a part of the castle for the deatheaters' Luna said.

'Alright, that sounds like a plan for now. Be careful' Harry replied.

The pair nodded and headed off, prepared to cast the curse to anyone who stood in their paths.

'A liquid imperius…'

Bill and Harry looked back at Hermione.

'What?'

'If we found a way to make the imperius curse, and the killing curse, into a liquid form, we could use both to draw out everyone into the open then drop a massive amount of the killing curse onto them. But, but if we can do it like a worldwide rain, we could reach a lot more people'.

'Hermione you are a genius!' Harry exclaimed.

Bill looked thoughtful, agreeing more and more with the idea as he ran through it'.

'It would work, no doubt about it. After the "rain" has passed there would only be a scattering of beings left. We would still need to work on getting the soul splitters out the way'.

'Another way we can use the imperius curse. If we connect to as many satellites as we can, we can broadcast an order for all those who have split their soul to gather somewhere, say on an island, then let the killing curse rain down everywhere _except_ for that island. Granted we still need to reach places that wouldn't have a signal. But perhaps…' Hermione pointed out before falling silent once more.

Bill gave Harry a bewildered look, mouthing satellites. Harry just chuckled in amusement and explained to the red head what his friend was on about.

'Harry you and Bill find a place to hold the deatheaters and draw them there. I've got some serious research to do. I'll be careful!' Hermione then said and took off out the great hall.

'She's…a little scary when she's like that' Bill said.

'Tell me about it' Harry muttered.

'So…place to hold deatheaters…?' he then asked.

OOO

'That…was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be'.

'I know' Bill replied, rubbing the back of his head.

They'd come up with the bright idea to hand over a tone of sleeping potion to Peeves, with orders to ran the vials down as many deatheaters as he could. Surprisingly, it worked. All but a few were now firmly bound and locked in the dungeons, their wands snapped. Voldemort had of course escaped, as had Fenrir, Bellatrix and a couple of others. The Malfoys had been promptly moved on to the new home, along with those Slytherin students who were hiding in the dungeons in the first place. Filch and Mrs Norris were also killed. Peeves had found the whole thing incredibly funny, and laughed even harder when he heard about the new home. His laughs were now the only thing left of him, echoing down the empty corridor.

'The ultimate prank, that's all he wanted. Go fig' Harry said quietly.

Bill just nodded.

'Alright, let's check the castle from top to bottom. Fenrir, Bellatrix and Voldemort need to be contained. So do the others. Plus we need to keep an eye out for Dumbledore, I have a feeling he's just waiting for Voldemort to be defeated before making a dramatic rise from the dead. I'm starting to see what Fred was talking about, a lot of people split their souls, and we haven't even gotten to the rest of Britain yet'.

'We've got our work cut out for us' Bill agreed.


	3. Chapter 3

Twelve years.

Twelve years it took. Harry felt it should have been longer, with all the beings in the world he figured he'd be here for the rest of his life. But no, twelve years from the day he went through the veil, and he'd finally completed his mission.

Bill was the first to move on of the group, he'd been caught out by a wannabe deatheater two years after Harry's return. Through the mirror he apologised for being reckless, and wished them luck as he hugged his wife and family in the new world. Thankfully his passing was after they had perfected a liquid form of both the killing and the imperius curse. Bill's help had been invaluable, and Harry was glad he'd lasted that long.

Neville had wanted to leave with his parents. He spent more than an hour sobbing in Luna's arms after hitting them both with the killing curse. Harry and Hermione left them to it while they went round the rest of St Mungos, fully understanding if their friend wished to join his parents. Neville didn't. Harry had taken a moment to pause over one patient. The man was starting to look his age, and gave Harry a friendly if not confused smile, asking what was going on and why he looked so darn familiar. Harry smiled back, told the man he was going to make him all better, then touched his wand to Gilderoy Lockhart's forehead and killed him.

It took him a long time to finally kill his godson. Andromeda had already been moved on, but the group allowed Harry a couple of days to just cherish the child in his arms. When he was finally able to cast, Harry wished for a while that he could just move on himself. After a long cry and plenty of comfort he was able to kiss the body of Teddy Lupin and lay it in the crib. A few moments later and Harry was able to pick himself up and continue.

The group had through use of mind control taken over the president of America. Through him they were able to gather the rest of the world leaders and use them to draw out the people in their millions. The imperius rain and their leader's voice smoothed over any protest anyone might have had. The killing rain finished the job. They had but to hunt out anyone left and complete it.

Those who had split their soul were drawn out in the same manner. Hermione had taken a page from the history books and had the soul splitters, and the vampires with great difficulty, shipped off to Australia, after the group had moved on almost every being there, including her parents. It was while the group were rounding up the stragglers that someone in the crowd shot the girl point blank in the chest. With tears in his eyes Harry kissed her and cast the killing curse. The remaining three then rounded up the last of the soul splitters and, using Bill's teaching and the work Hermione had already done, warded the entire island against escape.

Luna moved on next. After killing her father, who had hugged and kissed her and told her she was his princess, she had gone from clan to clan, creature to creature, spreading word about the great move. Her job was easy in comparison, the moment the Earth's creature population, from the mighty great whale to the tiniest creepy crawly, heard her message, they obligingly moved to the surface of the sea, crawled out from the ground, flew up into the sky, and stepped out into the open and allowed the killing rain to do its job. When the last creature had passed on, and most of the ghost had followed, Luna had given Harry and Neville a sweet kiss, and told them she was starting to miss her parents. The men had hugged her tightly and promised they wouldn't be too far behind her. They then stepped back and Neville pointed his wand at his wife of six years.

Voldemort, they found, wasn't the problematic one. Without the elder wand and his followers, and without Nagini that Neville had killed during the battle at Hogwarts, he was little more than a kid taking a temper tantrum. Harry took great delight in knocking the man senseless with a rock to the head, then dragging his body onto a boat along with a hundred other soul splitters. Neville was tempted to do the same to Bellatrix, however he knew he'd wind up killing her. She was a devil to catch, but eventually they were able to haul her onto the sunny shores of Aussy, and promptly dump her face first in the sand. As they walked away, they'd forgotten about her talent in weapon throwing, until a knife hidden in her shoe hit Neville in the back. Harry blasted the mad woman into a tree and knocked her out, then turned to his friend. Neville had smiled, yanked the poisoned blade from his shoulder, and said he'd see Harry on the other side. Wiping away tears Harry hugged him and cast the curse.

OOO

'Harry my boy'.

He turned to the old man. His mission was nearly over, he'd travelled the world and saw many sights as he killed hundreds of millions of people. From the depths of the Amazon rainforest, to the lost continent of Atlantis. He still couldn't believe that one. And now he was here, right back where he started. Looking at the last remaining soul splitter not locked away.

'Albus'.

The old man signed, stepping over some rubble to stand at Harry's side.

'Was it worth it Harry? This rein of darkness?'

Harry fought the urge to laugh.

'Very much so sir'.

Albus shook his head sadly.

'I knew you were angry my boy, but to do this. To bring your friends into it. I assume those you have kept in Australia will be allowed out?'

'The wards will fall the moment I'm gone' Harry replied.

Albus gave another sigh.

'Harry I am sorry it has to come to this. Had I known you were turning dark I would have stopped you years ago'.

'Like you stopped Tom Riddle?' Harry asked.

His question was ignored. He figured it would be.

'All those lives, wasted. And for what? A pureblood dream. Your mother will be so disappointed in you'.

Harry allowed a small smile to play upon his lips.

'Perhaps she will be. Somehow I don't think it will matter though, I mean it is as you say. Death is just another grand adventure'.

Albus discretely took the elder wand, found amongst the grounds of Hogwarts, out his sleeve.

'Well then Harry. I suppose then it is time for you to go to your next adventure. For the greater good'.

'For the greater good' Harry agreed, turning fully to face the man.

Albus pointed his wand at Harry, who in his last moments gave a playful smile and a mocking bow.

'Good day to you my fine sir'.

Albus chuckled a little, it was a cold and empty sound.

'And good day to you, my good man'.

And twenty nine year old Harry Potter ceased to live on Earth. And Albus Dumbledore would forever wonder exactly what a middle finger salute meant.

OOO

'Took you long enough!'

'Yeah Harry, we thought you were going to stay!'

Harry laughed and hugged Ron and Neville

'You know me guys, I don't look for trouble, but it always finds me'.

'Very true Harry. But we love you anyway' Hermione said.

'You're not gonna believe this Harry. You know Crouch Jr, I saw him hook up with Regulus Black. _Regulus Black!_ Sirius' brother, with Barty Crouch Jr! How mental is that?!' Ron exclaimed.

'No more mental than the others around here' Hermione muttered with a grin.

'Guys come on you gotta watch this it's hilarious!' someone called.

The group ran over to the crowd where a giant mirror was freestanding showing the chaos on Earth.

'They've just realised there's no animals!' Seamus laughed.

'It's veggie soul splitters or nothing at all!' someone else yelled.

'HA! Pay up Mark! I _knew_ Hitler was still around!'

'Oy there's the guy who invented that stone. Whotcha call it…the philosopher's stone! I can't believe he'd use that thing as a horcruxe! Bloody git!'

Ron sniggered and slumped down next to his family. Neville gave Harry an amused look and headed off to join his parents and grandmother. Harry took a moment to look around. Hermione had moved off to sit with her parents. Severus and who could only be his mother could be seen laughing in the background. The Lupins, the Tonks, the Creeveys, the Diggorys, the Malfoys. Mad-Eye Moody didn't look so mad anymore. The founding four of Hogwarts were talking to many of the professors. Dobby was shyly holding hands with Winky, they both looked a far cry from the beaten down House Elves they used to be. Everyone was smiling, laughing, joking around and having fun. This was home.

Harry beamed as his parents waved at him, motioning him to come over and watch with them. Before he could two pairs of hands pulled him back.

'Hey there Boy-Who-Lived' Fred purred.

'Wanna go have some fun?' George growled playfully.

'Well…ok, why not' Harry said with a grin.

The twins laughed and dragged him off to Life knows where. James sniggered and Lily elbowed him playfully while Sirius howled with laughter on the floor. Remus just rolled his eyes, lying comfortably with his wife and son by his side.

Behind the crowd, sitting on a raised platform, two figures sat and smiled at their creations.

'Now, you promise you're going to let my other creations come up? All the phoenixes and unicorns and whatnot?' Magic asked, making puppy dog eyes and pouting.

'Yes, I will bring them over' Life sighed, hiding a smile.

They glanced over as an anguished cry rang out through the mirror.

'I wonder who that was?' Magic pondered.

Life shrugged. It didn't matter. He waved his hand and every single husk lying on Earth vanished to places unknown. Smirking Life settled back against his chair and watched the chaos unfold.


End file.
